Salafism

Salafism is a puritanical movement within Sunni Islam that seeks to emulate the ways of the prophet Muhammad and his early followers in the 7th century. The name comes from "al-salaf al-salih", which means "the pious forefathers" in Arabic, referring to the sahabah (companions of Muhammad) and the first Muslims. It was born out of a combination of Wahhabism and post-1960s movements that advocated offensive jihad against non-Muslim countries, and Salafism is often seen as enforcing strict and cruel sharia law as well as encouraging terrorist attacks, beheadings, and jihads against non-Muslim nations. Islamist groups such as the Armed Islamic Group, al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State adhere to Salafism.